MODULE Study and Thinking Skills

CHAPTER 5: Methods of Paragraph Development

Objectives:

a.) Evaluate a paragraph based on the methods presented

b.) Write different kinds of paragraph using the methods of development.

Types of Paragraph Development

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Narration and Exposition

Authors use narrative paragraphs to tell stories. These may contain plot components
such as characters, settings, conflicts, and resolutions. Events are often told
sequentially using transition words. Character dialogue may also be included. Although
you’ll most likely use narrative paragraphs in works of fiction, they are also useful in
journalism, biographies and other genres where a storyline of events can be found.
Exposition and narrative paragraphs are similar in that they focus on an event, but they
differ in their use and style. Authors use exposition paragraphs to explain an event. To
boost an explanation’s credibility, authors often include quotations or citations from
various experts. Clarity is an important fact of these paragraphs. An exposition
paragraph in an article may come after an introduction and explain why the topic of the
article is important.

Definition and Description

In a definition paragraph, a word or concept is defined. According to Florida A&M

University journalism professor Gerald Grow, do not refer to a dictionary in a definition
paragraph. Use examples and descriptions to define words and concepts. You may
explain what the word or concept is not, but don’t define words only by negation or
opposites. While a definition paragraph encompasses the meaning of a word or
concept, a description paragraph gives readers such a variety of details about a person,
place, or thing that they can visualize the topic. Include descriptive adjectives, but don’t
neglect other senses. Describing what you hear, smell or feel — both physically and
emotionally — can immerse the reader deeply in the description.

Compare and Contrast

When authors want to discuss the similarities or differences between two people, places
or things, they use compare-and-contrast paragraphs. For every aspect of one of the
pair that is discussed, the same aspect must be discussed for the second part of the
pair. For example, do not discuss one actor’s hairstyle but leave out the second actor’s.
Write in block organization style, completely describing one member of the pair and
then the other, or in point-by-point style, listing aspects one by one and describing both
pair members together.

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Persuasion and Process Analysis

Persuasion paragraphs, also called opinion paragraphs, are meant to get readers to act
on the advice or exhortations given and often come at the end of articles. They include
the author’s opinion as well as facts and analyses to support the opinion and spur
readers to action. Rather than phrases such as, ―I think‖ or ―I believe,‖ use sentences
with modal auxiliaries to strengthen your argument. For example, say, ―The senate must
not pass this bill,‖ or ―School-aged children ought to be accompanied by an adult at
movies.‖

A process analysis paragraph can be either a how-to guide or a description of how a

certain process happens. In either case, break the process into a sequential series of
steps and list them in order. Organizational bullet points or numbers can help clarify
process analysis paragraphs. Ask someone to review this type of paragraph to identify
holes in the process description or instructions.

Paragraph Development Examples

How do I organize a paragraph?

Narration: Tell a story. Go chronologically, from start to finish.

One North Carolina man found quite a surprise last year while fishing in the Catawba
River: a piranha. Jerry Melton, of Gastonia, reeled in a one pound, four ounce fish with
an unusual bite. Melton could not identify it, but a nearby fisherman did. Melton at first
could not believe he had caught a piranha. He said, ―That ain’t no piranha. They ain’t
got piranha around here.‖ Melton was right: the fish is native to South America, and
North Carolina prohibits owning the fish as a pet or introducing the species to local
waterways. The sharp-toothed, carnivorous fish likely found itself in the Catawba River
when its illegal owner released the fish after growing tired of it. Wildlife officials hope
that the piranha was the only of its kind in the river, but locals are thinking twice before
they wade in the water.

Description: Provide specific details about what something looks, smells, tastes,
sounds, or feels like. Organize spatially, in order of appearance, or by topic.

Piranha are omnivorous, freshwater fish, which are mostly known for their single row of
sharp, triangular teeth in both jaws. Piranhas’ teeth come together in a scissor-like bite
and are used for puncture and tearing. Baby piranha are small, about the size of a

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thumbnail, but full-grown piranha grow up to about 6-10 inches, and some individual fish
up to 2 feet long have been found. The many species of piranha vary in color, though
most are either silvery with an orange underbelly and throat or almost entirely black

Process: Explain how something works, step by step. Perhaps follow a sequence—
first, second, third.

You can safely swim with piranhas, but it’s important to know how and when to do it.
First, chose an appropriate time, preferably at night and during the rainy season. Avoid
piranha-infested waters during the dry season, when food supplies are low and piranhas
are more desperate. Piranhas feed during the day, so night-time swimming is much
safer. Second, streamline your movement. Wild or erratic activity attracts the attention
of piranhas. Swim slowly and smoothly. Finally, never enter the water with an open
wound or raw meat. Piranhas attack larger animals only when they are wounded. The
presence of blood in the water may tempt the fish to attack. If you follow these simple
precautions, you will have little to fear.

Classification: Separate into groups or explain the various parts of a topic.

Piranhas comprise more than 30-60 species of fish, depending on whom you ask. The
many species fall into four genera: Pygocentrus, Pygopristis, Serrasalmus, and
Pristobrycon. Piranha in the Pygocentrus genus are the most common variety, the kind
you might find in a pet store. Pygopristis piranha are herbivores, feasting on seeds and
fruits, not flesh. In contrast, fish in the Serrasalmus genus eat only meat, and their teeth
are razor-sharp. Pristobrycon are the least friendly of all piranhas; they often bite the
fins of other fish, even fish of the same species. The label piranha, then, refers to a wide
variety of species.

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Patterns of Development Overview

Most academic essays have an overall structure – introduction leading to a thesis, body,
and conclusion. Essays also have topic sentences and units of support that constitute
the body, and these topic sentences and units of support need to be ordered logically in
a way that’s appropriate to the essay’s thesis.

Knowing that these common patterns of human thought exist, will help you as a writer to
both develop and organize information in your essays. The following image identifies
common patterns. Although it refers to ―paragraph‖ patterns, understand that these are
also common patterns for whole essays.

Consider these common patterns of thought and consider specific ways in which you’ve
applied each thinking pattern in your everyday life.

1. Narration

The purpose of narration is to tell a story or relate an event. Narration is an especially

useful tool for sequencing or putting details and information into some kind of logical
order, usually chronological. Literature uses narration heavily, but it also can be useful
in non-fiction, academic writing for strong impact.

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2. Description

The purpose of description is to recreate, invent, or visually present a person, place,

event, or action so that the reader can picture that which is being described. It is heavily
based on sensory details: sight, sound, smell, feel, taste.

3. Example

It’s common to see examples used in all kinds of situations—an idea can be considered
too general or abstract until we see it in action. Exemplification extends this idea even
further: it carries one or more examples into great detail, in order to show the details of
a complex problem in a way that’s easy for readers to understand.

4. Definition

Definition moves beyond a dictionary definition to deeply examine a word or concept as

we actually use and understand it.

5. Process Analysis

Analyzing a process can also be thought of as ―how-to‖ instruction. Technical writing

includes a lot of process analysis, for instance. Academic writing can incorporate
process analysis to show how an existing problem came to be, or how it might be
solved, by following a clear series of steps.

6. Classification/Division

Classification takes one large concept, and divides it into individual pieces. A nice result
from this type of writing is that it helps the reader to understand a complex topic by
focusing on its smaller parts. This is particularly useful when an author has a unique
way of dividing the concepts, to provide new insight into the ways it could be viewed.

7. Comparison/Contrast

Comparison focuses on similarities between things, and contrast focuses on their

differences. We innately make comparisons all the time, and they appear in many kinds
of writings. The goal of comparison and contrast in academic essays is generally to
show that one item is superior to another, based on a set of evaluations included as part
of the writing.

8. Cause/Effect

If narration offers a sequence of events, cause/effect essays offer an explanation about

why that sequence matters. Cause/effect writing is particularly powerful when the author

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can provide a cause/effect relationship that the reader wasn’t expecting, and as a result
see the situation in a new light.

9. Problem/Solution

This type of academic writing has two equally important tasks: clearly identifying a
problem, and then providing a logical, practical solution for that problem. Establishing
that a particular situation IS a problem can sometimes be a challenge–many readers
might assume that a given situation is ―just the way it is,‖ for instance.

For More Knowledge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OCT7RwpDw0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQS9VHk2VHk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYs3UO--xVI

Reference:
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-esc-wm-englishcomposition1/chapter/text-
rhetorical-modes/Tutoring and Writing Services. (n.d.) Paragraphs. Monmouth
University.
http://longleaf.net/wp/articles-teaching/seven-types-paragraph-development/

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